Adjustable piano-bench.



l. R. GAMMETER & C. HMARTIN.

Patented Aug. 2i, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. R. GAMMETER LQ C. H. MARTIN.

ADJUSYABLE PIANO BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY l0. i914.

l ,2370,499 awlmd Ang. 21, 15H7.

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JOHN R. GAMMETER AND CHRISTIAN H. MARTIN, 0F AKRON, HIIO; SAID MMTIN ASSIGNOB. TO SAID GAMIVIETER.

ADJUSTABLE PIANO-BENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented aug. ai, ieri.

T 0 aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN R. GAMMETER and CHRISTIAN H. MARTIN, citizens of the United States, and residents of Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented new and useful improvements in Adjustable Piano-enc'hes, of which the followin is a description, referencev being had to t e accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a iano bench which may be readily changedp in height and which will present the same neat and ornamental appearance in its various adjustments.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable piano bench which will be capable of making the desired changes in height without binding and without the adjustable parts becoming loose so as to be noisy.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable piano -bench in which the raising and lowering of the front of the bench will be accomplished to a different degree from the raising and lowering of the rear of the bench whereby the lbench is caused to assume an inclined position as ith is increased in height.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the adjustable piano bench as herein claimed and all equivalents. f

Referrin to the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference indicate the same parts in thedilierent views:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a piano bench constructed in accordance with this invention7 the hinged cover being raised and parts being sectioned to show the adjusting chain;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the piano bench showing in dotted lines the elevated and inclined position thereoil resulting from the adjustment Fig. 3 is a sectional View through one edge of the piano bench showing the key operated sprocket wheel for varying the adjustment of the bench;

Fig.v 4 is "a sectional view of one of the corners of the bench on the plane of line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 yisV a sectional view thereof on the plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and, l l

F ig. 6 is a viewshowing the inner face of the key operated sprocket wheel for varyin the adjustment of the bench.

n these drawings 10 indicates the box-A like body portion of a piano bench provided at its corners with specially constructed corner brackets7 shown in detail in Figs. 4' and 5. These brackets comprise side wings 11 projecting at right angles to each other from approximately the middle of adjacent sides oi' a corner sleeve12 approximately square in cross section, the side wings being connected by a web 13 at their lower edges and by a similar web 14 at their upper edges. Each side wing 11 has a longitudinal rib 15 projecting from it midway between its upper and lower edges and entering grooves 16 formed in the side and end walls of the body portion 10, to which the side wings are secured as by means of screws 17. In each of the corner sleeves 12 is fitted the upper end of a leg member 18 which is square in cross section and slidable within the sleeve with a close, frictionless bearing therein afforded by thin strips of metal 19 set into the corner edges of the leg member and diagonally disposed therein and projecting slightly therefrom to closely fit in the corners of the sleeve. Atthe innermost corner each leg member is beveled orhas the corner cut away, as shown at 20, to 'afford space for a wire spring 21 which is bent to a. hook shapeat its upper end to lie within a notched groove formed for it in the web 14 and which is held in place by a bearing plate 22 engaged beneath a lug 23 wat the outermost corner of the sleeveand secured to the web 14 as by bolts 24. The spring serves to press againstthe metal strip 19 at the beveled corner of the leg member and hold the other metal strips in bearing contact with the corners of the sleeve so that the leg member has no play in its sliding bearing that will permit it to rattle, and the metal bearing strips 19 assure an easy sliding fit of the leg member inthe sleeve that will permit the adjustment thereof to be readily accomplished. The upper end of the leg member is turned down and has a metal ferrule 25 litted thereon, while a metal bushing 26 is fitted within the central bore 27 which extends for some distance from the end of the leg member to receive a screw 2 8 that is journaled in the bearing plate 22. Pins 29 are driven through the rounded end of the leg member and through openings in the ferrule 25, and the bushing 26 and'project into the threads ofthe screw 28 to form a nut-like engagement with the 'screw to cause the lifting or lowering of the body portion 10 when the screw is turned, said body portion receiving its support from the screw by the bearing platel resting on the thread thereof. A sprocket wheel 8O is fixed on the upper end of the screw `28v of each leg member above the bearing plate 22 and the four sprocket wheels of the four leg members are connected by an endless chain 3l which travels through grooves 32 near the upper edge of the side and end pieces of the body portion.` The chain may be moved in any desired manner to cause the simultaneous turning of the screws of the four leg members, as by grasping it with the hand and pulling it in one direction or the other to raise or lower' the body portion of the bench, but it is preferred to provide mechanical means for feeding the chain, such ras a key operated sprocket wheel 33 set into a recess in the front member of the body portion and engaging the chain which is twisted for this purpose as shown in Fig. 1. The projecting squared end of the shaft of sprocket wheel 33 may be contained in a recess in the front of the front member of the body portion to receive a detachable key 34. By turning the key 34 the chain may be fed in either direction for adjusting the bench.

By means of this invention the piano bench may be raised 0r lowered to any desired extent and adjusted to exactly suit the requirements as to height, the adjustment being accomplished simultaneously at all four of the supports thereofl by merely moving the chain in one direction or the other, thus causing the turning of the screws to thread them up or down in the leg members. The pitch of the screw threads of the screws 2S of the rear leg members is preferably made somewhat greater' than the pitch of the Screwthreads of the -other screws so that as the bench is raised from its lowermost adjustment, iny which the top of the bench is approximately level, it is gradually inclined forwardly, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 2, so as t0 give the scat an inclined position as desired when used in the operation of player pianos. The various adjustments are accomplished without altering the ornamental appearance of the bench, forthe sleeves l2 moving with the body portion of the bench give ythe same finished appearance to the connection between the leg members and the body' portion in the various adjustments,

l and inasmuch as the bearing of the leg members in the sleeves is confined to the metal strips at the corners of the leg members the sleeves do not scratch or mar the finished surface of the leg members. Furthermore, the arrangement by which the adjustment is accomplished is such as to not occupy the space within the body portion so that such space is available for use as in the ordinary non-adjustable bench.

The construction of the corner brackets is suclrthat the body portion'lO is made strong and rigid and the adjustability of the leg members is permitted without weakening the structure or marring its appearance.

lVhat we claim as new and. desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a piano bench, a body portion hav ing sleeves at its corners, leg members slidably fitting in the sleeves, metal stri s embedded in the edges of the leg mem ers to bear against the walls of the sleeves, and means for adjusting the leg members in the sleeves to vary the height of the piano bench.

2. In a piano bench, a body portion having sleeves at the corners thereof square in cross section, leg members square in cross section slidably fitting within the sleeves, metalstrips embedded in the corners of the leg members and bearing against the corner walls of the sleeves, one corner of each leg member being cut away to leave a space between the leg member and its sleeve, a. spring secured to the sleeve and extending through said' space and bearing against the leg member, and means for adjusting -the leg members to vary the height of the piano bench. v

3. In a piano bench, a body portion, corner brackets secured to the corners of the body portion and provided with downwardly extending sleeves square in cross section, leg membersisquare in cross section fitting within the sleeves and provided with a central bore and reduced upper' ends, a ferrule surrounding the reduced upper end of each leg member, a bushing contained in the bore of cach leg member, a bearing plate secured across the upper end of each sleeve, a jack screw journaled in the bearing plate, pins passing through the upper ends of the leg members, the ferrules and the bushing and projecting between the threads of the jack scr c ws, and means for turning the jack screws to vary the height of the piano bench.

In testimony whereof, we affix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN R. GAMMETER.

CHRISTIAN H. MARTIN. 

